Delta Air Lines has signed an offtake agreement with Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels (NWABF) that could result in deliveries of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) beginning by the end of 2024 if a feasibility study now underway supports construction of a biorefinery in Washington state. 

The plant would produce low-carbon SAF from forest residues using the Fischer-Tropsch process, a feedstock-to-biofuel pathway already approved for use in aircraft in blends up to 50% with conventional jet fuel.

In addition to producing a jet fuel with reduced life-cycle carbon emissions, NWABF says the use of forest residues can reduce the risk of wildfires, encourage tree growth and create jobs in rural and timber-dependent regions of the Pacific Northwest.

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